


The Porcelain Horse

by ThePathLessTrekked



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-27
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-17 04:20:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1373707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThePathLessTrekked/pseuds/ThePathLessTrekked
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Leonard McCoy is faced with either getting a music box fixed or breaking his daughters heart, he ends up face to face with a brilliantly talented clockmaker named Jim. Leo finds himself falling hard and fast for the craftsman who turns out to be a lot more than the goofy man in glasses the doctor first suspects. Quite a bit more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

**Part I**

 

There wasn’t much Leonard McCoy felt he couldn’t handle. He had been wrist deep in more than one person’s abdomen. He’d even managed to reattach limbs. If there was a crisis McCoy was the kind of man you wanted around. He kept a cool head and his hands never showed a hint of a tremor. So it must be said that it was no small matter that he was helpless in the wake of his red-faced, nearly hysterical daughter.Yet there he stood, shoulders slumped and arms hanging limply at his side. Brow furrowed over hazel eyes and mouth tight in a square jaw.

Joanna was clutching the delicate wooden box to her chest with the small porcelain horse that had once adorned the top in the death grip of her chubby right hand. Her face was wet from tears and a blotchy red was starting to work it’s way down her neck. All Leo could think of was how unfortunate it was that the child was like him when she cried, instead of having her mother’s bright eyed, elegant tears.

“Baby girl,” He crouched down in front of her and tried to pull her focus from the broken toy. She jerked away from him and curled around it. “What’s all this noise about?” He asked softly, brushing back the yellow hair that was sticking to her wet cheeks.

“I broke it! Mama gave it to me and I broke it!” She sobbed and buried her face in the side of the box. It broke Leo’s heart.

“Why don’t you let me take a look at it Jojo? I fix people up don’t I?” The small girl sniffed and nodded softly. “So lets see if Papa can fix this up.” He scooped his daughter up into his arms and carried her to the table that took up most of the kitchen.

Their house was modest but by no means small. It had a room for Leo (and his wife, once upon a time), a room for Joanna, a guest room, a small but comfortable kitchen, a living room with a sleeping porch off the back. It was filled with warm woods and soft pillows of deep reds and browns. Being only fifteen minutes from town made it a wonderful location for the local doctor.

The table was large enough for a family of six but was covered mostly with papers from Leo’s practice. He set Joanna down in her chair and cleared a space for her to set the music box.

It quickly became clear that the box was far beyond Leo’s skills. The small horse had broken off at the delicate back leg it reared up on. It’s possible that the gears that made it turn had been bent because it no longer spun, or maybe it no longer spun because it no longer played music, and he had no idea why that was. Joanna’s lip started to quiver again. He panicked.

“It’s okay Jojo! I bet Uncle Scotty can fix it. He’s good with moving things isn’t he?”

“You promise?” The large brown eyes of his late wife stared up at him, looking fragile and trusting.

“Of course,” He tried to keep the pleading hope out of his own eyes as he promised his daughter he’d find a way to fix something he wasn’t sure was fixable. “Now, I’ll go next door and ask Miss Chapel if she’ll watch you while I go talk to Uncle Scotty, okay?”

Luckily, Christine was just about to start making lunch and was more than happy to let Joanna help while Leo ran into town.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The ride into town felt much longer than fifteen minutes with the small box weighing down Leo’s satchel. He flew down the dirt road, coat tails whipping out behind him with every corner he took. Every bump the bicycle hit had him nearly convinced that he had broken off yet another piece of the little horse. He figured by the time he arrived at Scotty’s shop he would have nothing but a fine porcelain dust.

In what was more likely seventeen minutes than the thirty it felt, he pulled up to the front of the mechanic's shop. He leaned his bike against the front and pushed the door open to go inside. No sooner than his boot had hit the floor on the other side of the door than did the building shake with an almost deafening boom. Leo threw himself against the door frame and waited for the room to collapse around him. When it didn’t, he carefully peeled himself away from the door and cautiously walked through the main room towards the work room located at the back of the building.

“Scotty?” There was no answer. “Scotty? Did you get yourself killed?” A head popped through the doorway that separated the two parts of the shop.

“Doctor! I thought I heard someone come in.” A grin spread across the man’s face. He was small man with a mischievous smile and short, light brown hair.

“How you heard anything over that noise is a wonder.” Leo narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. They had been friends for more years than he was willing to count and in all those years Montgomery Scott was into one kind of a trouble or another.

“Yes, well.” He stepped into the front room fully. The man was covered in soot and what appeared to be scorch marks. “It’s a risk of the trade.” The trade being mechanics. A career that focused on creating the machines that were slowly, but surely, improving the lives of those that lived further from the capitol. The palace spread wealth and prosperity to the city, fondly referred to as Enterprise by the people, and the small towns surrounding it. Small towns like their own Galileo, which lay only a few hours away from the palace. Those further away couldn’t draw from Enterprise for support quickly or efficiently. The machines being developed by the Starfleet were providing faster transport, easier access to materials, and even protection for the towns out of reach of Enterprise’s immediate care.

Scotty had been working for Starfleet for as long as Leo had known him. His hand had been in more projects than Leo could count and the man was so enthusiastic about his work that it was hard to believe that he hadn’t been born with a wrench in his hand.

“So what can I do ye for, Leo? I hope ye haven’t crashed that bike. I gave it back to ye less than a week ago.” The man’s northern accent lent well to a scolding tone, but it was usually more teasing than not.

“I’m actually here on Joanna’s behalf.” McCoy lifted the satchel over his head and set it on the counter that separated the two men. He carefully took out the small wooden toy and the delicate statuette that was supposed to be situated on top. “She dropped it and now it won’t work. Poor child is heartsick over it.”

Scotty picked up the box with surprisingly gentle hands. They were dirty and the fingernails were jagged but they were as skilled with a machine as Leo’s were with a scalpel. The mechanic opened the music box, turned it this way and that, tried winding it and looked at it closely through narrowed eyes. Finally he set it down.

“Leo, if I try to fix this it’s going to turn into nae but a pile of splinters and gears. I can do tiny but I cannae do delicate.” Scotty did look sorry, at least there was that. With a sigh Leo packed the box back into its bag. He slung the sack back over his shoulder made to leave.

“Thanks anyway, Scotty.” The other man nodded and waved as the doctor walked back out the door.

Leo had already made it back on his bike when the northerner ran out.

“Wait! Wait!” He jumped in front of his friend’s path. McCoy stared at him.

“Damnit, man I’m not even moving!”

“Right, it’s just I remembered there’s this shop down towards the bakery. Ye know the one? Off of Forest Lane?” Leo nodded. “There’s a lad down that way that may be able to fix it up. He works with the dainty stuff. Worked on a few things for me about a year back.”

A surge of relief hit Leo.

“Thank you Scotty, I’ll go see him now.”

“Good luck, mate. I’ll see you for a drink later on in the week, yeah?”

“I’ll give you a ring.” He took off down the road towards Forest Lane.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The shop was at the end of an ally, bookended by a haberdashery and a bakery. The front was neat and simple with a window lined by beautifully sculpted clocks. Each face was bright and painted with care, each body detailed with carvings of anything from geometric patterns to tiny birds that seemed like they would flit off at any moment. There were shiny and intricately engraved pocket watches hanging from the top of the window, turning softly and catching the warm yellow light the lit display. The glass was etched in a simple, elegant lettering. It read:

 

_**Galileo Clock and Repair** _

 

McCoy opened the cherry wood door and stepped inside, looked up at the bell that chimed his entrance. The outside reflected the interior of the shop well. The walls were lined with clocks just as ornate and carefully made as the ones in the window. The counter was a glass case that was no doubt filled with more watches. The floors were a light colored wood, clean of any scuff marks or noticeable dents. While small, the shop felt cozy rather than crowded, and the soft ticking set a relaxing and consistent background.

Leo stepped up to the showcase to get the attention of the craftsman that Scotty had told him about, but door between the shop and the sales floor was closed. He rang the bell on the counter once before noticing the items in the case. Putting his hands behind his back, Leo leaned over to take a closer look. To his surprise the glass case wasn’t full of watches. It had a few, yes, but mostly it displayed carefully carved animals and flowers. Each one delicately arching, reaching, moving, ready to take off at any moment or float away in the wind. The tiny statues were detailed in amazing ways, just like the birds in the windows, but without the heavy body of the clocks to hold them, these ones seemed even more likely to simply walk away.

One tiny deer peered out of the case, her legs tensed and her ears perked, ready to bound off the shelf at the slightest sign of danger.

“May I help you?” Leo jumped. He had forgotten that there was supposed to be a clockmaker in the shop. A warm chuckle reached his ears. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The man that had broken Leo of his reverie was standing behind the counter, wiping his hands on a worn cloth. His eyes were crinkled at the corners from the smile that was obviously a familiar one. The thin wire frames that sat on his nose almost completely covered, but did nothing to soften, the intense blue of his eyes. Leo couldn’t help but think that the smile looked arrogant, especially under the swept back style of golden hair.  He cleared his throat.

“I’m looking for the clockmaker?” He assumed the apprentice was the one who had to deal with the front of the shop unless his master was called on.

“You’ve found him.”  The man gestured to himself, if he was offended he didn’t let on. His face was relaxed and his mouth seemed to constantly have a slight upturn to it. Leo bit back embarrassment and pushed on.

“You were recommend to me by Monty Scott.” Leonard took the music box out of his bag again, carefully setting it on the small white towel that lay on top of the case. “I was hoping you might be able to fix this.”

The clockmaker took off his leather apron and tossed it and the cloth he had been holding over the back of a near by chair. He wore dark gray trousers and a soft blue button up shirt beneath a dark blue waistcoat. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, exposing sweeping collar bones. He turned his attention to the object that had been laid out in front of him. Like Scotty, the man picked it up and looked at it from different angles. He carefully checked the wind up key and turned it back over to look at the top.

Leo tried not to notice his hands but quickly found himself lost to them. They weren’t particularly slender or elegant, but they were obviously deft and strong. They moved easily and looked natural with the spots of oil and polishing compound that stained his fingertips.

“Was there a figurine on top?” He finally looked at Leonard again. He set the box down and rested a hand lightly on top of it.

“Yes, hold on.” Leo dug back into the bag at his side and pulled out the horse again. “I believe it broke off when she dropped it.” He handed it over. The clockmaker took it from him, fingers brushing against his briefly.

“Your wife’s?”

“Daughter’s. She’s more than a little heartsick over it.” The man nodded and brought the little porcelain figure close to his face.

“I should be able to fix it. I won’t know for sure until I take it apart, but my theory is that a few of the springs were knocked loose.” He set the broken piece down.

“When should I come back to pick it up?” The craftsman hummed thoughtfully, looking the two pieces over again.

“Wednesday.” He finally decided. “At the very least I should know the extent of the damage by then.”  Leo gave a nod.

“Thank you. I’m Leo McCoy by the way.” He held out his hand.

“James.” The clockmaker returned his grasp and the doctor couldn’t help but notice the pleasant feeling of the calluses against his palm. Everything about James seemed warm, his shop, his smile, his hands. His handshake was firm and practiced. Leo raised an eyebrow when James made no move to let go.

“I’ll see you Wednesday then?”

“Yes. Right, yes. Wednesday.” James dropped his hand quickly. The bell rang obnoxiously as Leonard left the shop. It seemed an appropriate end to the awkward encounter.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It rained on Wednesday. Leo hated the rain. He hated mud. He hated wet and he hated cold. He hailed from the southern part of the kingdom where the weather was hot and dry. As it should be.

When he trudged into the tiny shop at the end of the ally, he found himself hating James. The clockmaker had left the door to the workshop open, giving Leo a clear view of the workbench and the man bent over it. Said man looked up when the increasingly obnoxious bell announced Leonard’s arrival. His glasses were almost falling off his nose and he looked ridiculous when he tilted his head back to see who had walked in. He looked even more ridiculous when he pushed his hair back, leaving a dark smear of grease on his forehead.

“Hello, Mister McCoy! I’ll be right out.” James pushed his chair back, rolling across the workspace to grab a spare cloth to wipe his hands. He stood and took off the apron he had been wearing when they first met. This time he wore light gray trousers and a white shirt with a dark red waistcoat. His collar was still unbuttoned and this time his sleeves had been rolled up to the elbow, exposing well defined forearms covered with smears of grease and dirt. Leo found himself getting more and more agitated.

The younger man came out with the music box in hand. The small horse back in place and looking polished.

“Doctor.” Leo said shortly. James blinked at him.

“Pardon?”

“Doctor McCoy.” The clockmaker pursed his lips, looking putout. He set the toy on the counter and pointedly ignored the correction.

“Well, Mister McCoy, I was able to fix your daughter’s music box. It was just a few springs mostly, but there were a couple of gears that had been jostled out of place.” He wound  it up. The box began to play the gentle tune that Leo had heard so many times. The rearing horse turned smoothly, casting it’s shadow over the little flowers carved over the top. “The horse should be fine as long as she doesn’t drop it again.”

“And what do I owe you.”

“A thank you?” Leo let the shock of the reply play across his face for only a moment before narrowing his eyes at the clockmaker. James rolled his eyes. “30 notes.”

The money exchanged hands and Leo picked up the box without so much as a nod. It wasn’t until he was out in the ally that he actually looked down at the toy.

The horse had not only been reattached, but painstakingly restored. The paint was bright and new, the horse’s eyes looked lively and the flowers in it’s mane had new stems painted on to make them look woven in. The crack on the leg was invisible as far as the doctor could see. All of the nicks and dings the thing had achieved over the years had been carefully sanded out and the entire box had been restrained.

Leo rubbed at his face and swore before he made a heel-face-turn and walked back into the shop.

James was still behind the counter looking sulky. He glared at the doctor as he made his way back through the store.

“Thank you, James.” It obviously hadn’t been what the craftsman was expecting. There was a pause.

“You’re welcome, Doctor.” Leo nodded and turned to leave again.

“It’s Jim, by the way.” McCoy hurried out and prayed he wouldn’t have to come back.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


	2. Part II

Joanna squealed with joy when her father handed the, now working, music box to her. She carefully set it down on the table before throwing her small arms around his neck and hugging him for all she was worth.

“Thank you Papa! Thank you, thank you!” Leo smiled and wrapped his arms around her, picking her up in a strong hug before setting her down again.

“Anything for you Jojo.”

Christine fought a smile when the girl snatched the box back up and ran to her room. She looked at Leo with both eyebrows raised, mouth pursed with the effort of not laughing. McCoy scowled.

“Hush, you.”

“I haven’t said a word, Doctor.”

He grumbled at her in a good natured way and moved around her to reach for the cup of coffee she had left for him on the kitchen counter. Christine had been good to them after Jocelyn had passed away. She was a young widow herself and knew how much healing could come from a simple hand here and there when needed. She had let Leo mourn, but refused to let him wallow. They had been fast friends. It didn’t hurt that she was a damned good nurse as well, lending her skill to Leo’s practice.

“Are you going to go back and thank the person who managed to bring you out of a mood in this kind of weather?” He scowled and she wrinkled her nose at him. “It’s a rare feat, Leo. He should be commended.”

“I’ll show you a rare feat.” he muttered into the coffee cup. “I already thanked him.” The surprise on Christine’s face was less playful this time.

“You did? Really?”

“I said thank you.”

“Leo, I mean no offense, but you saying thank you isn’t always truly,” she hesitated, trying to find the words. “Well, a thank you.”

“Are you saying I wasn’t sincere?” His brow furrowed, waiting for the backtrack.

“Yes.” Well, so much for that.

“Christine!” He was shocked, not whining. Leonard McCoy did not whine. Christine just laughed.

“I’m sorry, but it’s true. I doubt that man felt particularly thanked.” With a long suffering sigh Leo set the coffee cup down.

“Well, what do you suggest I do about it?”

“You _could_ go back and genuinely thank him for fixing one of the few things your daughter has left from her mother.”  

“It was a business transaction. He did the work I paid him for.” Christine shrugged and sipped her own coffee.

“Then why are you arguing with me? I was simply making a comment on your unusually chipper mood.”

Leo swore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

It was the fifth time that Leonard had rung that ridiculous bell that sat above the door at Galileo Clocks and Repairs and he was seriously thinking of pulling it off its ornate little hook. He carefully closed the door behind him and looked around the store. Nothing had changed in the two days since he had been there, but it seemed more open with sunlight coming in through the front window. Once again the door separating the sales floor and the workshop was open. This time, however, James was sitting at the desk area behind the front counter. It was a short counter top running perpendicular to the left edge of the display case. It had some simple tools and a few jars of what looked like nails and screws.

The clockmaker’s shoulders were hunched, his face craned over his hands as they fiddled with something on the countertop. A visor was pulled down over his eyes, the glasses had been set off to the side away from the edge of the counter. He seemed oblivious to the guest in his store. Leo cleared his throat.

The entire ordeal of coming down here was worth seeing James jump a good half foot off his stool.

James quickly pushed the visor up, eyes wide and mouth ready to jump into some kind of reprimand. The action was cut short when the kid squinted so hard that that Leonard was starting to wonder if his eyes were even open.

“Your glasses are on the counter, James.” He didn’t bother to hide the smirk in his voice.

“Oh, Doctor McCoy.” James grabbed the glasses and placed them on his nose. “Is there something wrong with the music box?” Leo shuffled uncomfortably. He wasn’t sure how he had talked himself into this.

“No it’s, uh.” He felt ridiculous. “It’s fine. I just wanted to thank you.” James rose an eyebrow.

“You thanked me before you left.” That was sarcasm if Leo had ever heard it.

“I wanted to properly thank you. You made a seven-year-old’s day much happier.” There was certainly an awkward silence after that, but the doctor had no idea what to do about. He was about to give up and leave when he heard the a soft snuffling sound. Finally he really looked at the man in front of him.

James had his hand pressed hard against his mouth, his eyes were violently crinkled at the corners. The bastard was laughing.

“The hell-”

“Did your mother tell you come to make nice?” James had lost it by this point and was almost doubled over. Tears were starting to form in the corners of his eyes.

“Oh come on kid, you’re cutting me to the bone here.” McCoy sighed and watched the idiot laugh.

“Sorry Doc-” James gasped for air, new peels of laughter breaking into the air.

The clockmaker didn’t manage to pull himself together for nearly three minutes. Leo wasn't entirely sure why he waited until he did. “Oh God. That,” Jim wiped his eyes with the back of his hand shoving the glasses up his face as he did so. “Was the best thing that’s happened to me in months.”

Leo looked unamused.

“So glad to help.” He drawled. Jim snorted. “Lady like.”

Finally, Jim took a deep breath and manage to keep it to chuckles.

“You’re welcome. I’m glad it made your daughter happy.” He grinned and thrust is open hand out to Leonard. “I feel like we should try this again. Hello, I’m James. My friends call me Jim.”

Leo eyed his hand skeptically. No one actually did the “Lets start over” thing like that. No one was that socially inept to think that things could just be reset. And yet.

“Doctor Leonard McCoy,” He shook the kid’s hand. “My friends call me Leo.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The next conversation they had was over a beer with Scotty. Christine had insisted she watch Joanna for the night so that Leo could go out and speak with other adults. He did so, but made a point to remind her he wasn’t happy about it.

Scotty was on his third pint of the evening, and a rant about the subpar management ability of Starfleet.

“The Bridge has too much of a damn hand in it! I swear to God, if the King could come and breath down my neck personally, he would.” The engineer took another swig from his glass and slapped it back down onto the table. Beer sloshed over the side and Leo scooted back to avoid getting it on his lap.

“Damn it Scotty-”

Jim was laughing.

“You think they might have a heavy hand because you used an illegal substance as a conductor?”

“It worked the best!”

“I have a feeling that if anyone could find a substitute it would be you, Scotty.”

Scotty grumbled and waved his hand as if he could bat away the compliment.

“A Bridge sympathizer are we, Jim?” Leo had managed to stop the puddle of beer with a few napkins. “Fond of the Royal family?”

Jim shrugged and took a drink of his beer.

“I think the Bridge is competent enough, it isn’t just the Royal family. There are advisors, the councilors, some special boards they’ll pull up for specific situations. It’s not like the king gets to put his hand in every decision and gets final say.”

“Yeah well, Good King Sham doesn’t seem to try too hard.”

“”What about you, Bones?” Jim asked, completely ignoring Scotty’s comment. “You a fan of the Royals?”

“The hell did you just call me?”

Jim grinned.

“Bones. You said I cut you to the bone. It seemed fitting.” Leo rolled his eyes.

“I don’t have anything to say one way or the other about the royal family. I find some of the Bridge decisions questionable, but I also know they really are trying to do right by their people. They know that not everything can be focused on Enterprise.”

Jim was nodding thoughtfully and lifted his glass back to his lips for another drink.

Something occurred to Leo.

“Jim, do you _work_ for the Bridge?” Jim snorted into his beer. The doctor was starting worry now that he was the only one who hadn’t spilled his drink.

“Oh shit no.” It was the first time Leo had heard James cuss. It sounded a little odd, like he was used to being told he couldn’t. “I’d rather jump off the bridge of the Bridge.” The Bridge got it’s name from the long narrow bridge that connected the east and west towers of the castle. It was the command center of Enterprise as well as the home of the Royal Family and everyone in charge of the kingdom. “I’m officially Starfleet, that’s the closet the Bridge gets to having any real say over me.”

That was intriguing, what would Starfleet need with a clockmaker?

“So, you make all of the official Coo-coo clocks for the Admirals or something.” Leo smirked at Jim.

“Ha. Ha.” Jim flicked one of the half soggy napkins at him. The kid still had stains on his fingers from work. “I deal with delicate machinery like I did for Scotty.” He jerks his head in the direction of the engineer.

For the life of him Leo couldn’t figure out what “delicate machinery” would be. Even after Scotty and Jim spent an hour trying to explain it to him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo usually didn’t expect people to knock on his door, let alone at 6 in the morning. So, he was surprised to be jostled from his morning coffee and the paperwork he was catching up on. He was even more surprised to see James standing at his door way, cradling his hand gingerly. Mostly because he had never told Jim where he lives.

“How the hell did you find me here?”

The look on Jim’s face was not appreciative.

“I asked Scotty, Bones. May I please, come in?” Leo stepped aside quickly, embarrassed at his greeting to the obviously injured man.

“Sorry, Jim. I just wasn’t expecting you. You hurt your hand?” The clockmaker nodded tightly. The lines around his mouth were giving Leo a hint to the amount of pain he was in. “What happened?” He guided Jim to the table and set him down in his preferred chair. It was the only part of the table that currently had a space cleared.

“I was trying to find a part on one of the shelves in my shop.” He winced when Leo maneuvered his arm to lay flat on the table so he could inspect it. “I reached too far and lost my balance. Landed on my wrist.”

Sure enough, Jim’s wrist was broken.

“Hold on, let me get you something for the pain before I set it.”

The doctor was wearing only a loose white shirt and brown trousers. The shirt was mostly unbuttoned for comfort. Jim couldn’t help notice that he was barefoot.

“Isn’t it unsanitary not to wear shoes?” He asked once Leo returned.

“My house is very clean.” He shoved a few pills into Jim’s uninjured hand. “Take those. I have to set your wrist so it heals correctly. Jim was disappointed that he hadn’t giving him a sarcastic remark back. He tried again.

“Could have fooled me. You have a filthy mouth, why would your home be any better?”

Leo just rolled his eyes.

“Jim, that might have just been the stupidest thing I have ever heard you say. And I heard you talk to Scotty about the likelihood of a clock gaining sentience.”

“He had a couple of good points, Bones.”

“No, Jim. He really didn’t. But the beer in your system thought he did.” Leo looked up at the kid. He was rewarded with a truly goofy grin.

“Wipe that smile off your face, kid. This isn’t going to tickle.”

Jim cursed loudly as Leo set the bone.

“Watch your damned mouth,” Leo hissed. “My kid is upstairs.”

Jim grit his teeth in irritation as much as pain. “So sorry,” He hissed back. “I hope your Missus forgives what I’m sure is very unusual cursing in your home.”

They were quiet for a short time as Leo wrapped up the broken wrist.

“I don’t have one.”

“One what?”

“A wife. She died.” Jim swore again, albeit more softly this time.

“I didn’t mean to-”

“You didn’t know. It’s alright.” Before Jim could try to apologize again there was a soft noise at the door to the kitchen.

“Papa?”

“Yes, Jojo?” Bones had turned to look at his daughter. Jim leaned back in his chair to peer around the doctor. The little girl that stood at the door in her nightgown was all big brown eyes, yellow hair and freckles.

“I heard a shout.” The last word was almost lost to a yawn. “Is everything okay?”

“Sure is, Jojo. Jim here just hurt his wrist, so I’m setting it straight.” Joanna peered back at Jim. “He’s the one who fixed your horse box.” Suddenly shy, Joanna blushed and bit her lips together. She twisted in the spot and looked down.

“Thank you, Mister Jim.”

Jim was lost from that moment onwards.

“Anything for you Miss Joanna.”

She smiled shyly and scrambled back out of the room.

Leo smiled as he finished up with Jim’s wrist.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From that point on Leo and Jim were fast friends. Jim would come over the doctor’s house, usually with some kind of wind up toy to amuse Joanna while they chatted. Leo found out that he had been working on one when he had come back to properly thank the man. It was a flower that would open to reveal a small dragon fly. The insect would move it’s little clicking wings and float around the petals. It had the lively touch Jim managed to put into all his work and Joanna had been so enchanted by it the clockmaker insisted she keep it.

It took nearly two months for Jim’s wrist to heal to the point where he could work again. Unable to do much in his shop, he managed to find a way to annoy Bones constantly instead. Like when he  would hang around the practice and offer to help, despite the fact that he didn’t know the first thing about medicine.

Bones couldn’t really find it in himself to complain about the company.

Well, he could, but Christine didn’t seem to take him too seriously about it.


	3. Part III

The first time Leo thought there might be something wrong he had stopped by Jim’s shop to see if the man would be interested in grabbing something to eat after close. It had become a routine for them during the last couple of months. At least once a week, one of them would stop by and see if the other was free to get some food.

Leo had managed to open the door without setting off the damned bell. It had taken him three weeks to figure out how to do it, but if opened slowly enough the bell wouldn’t be knocked hard enough to clack. He could just barely see Jim through the open door of the workshop. The clockmaker was holding the earpiece of the telephone  to the side of his head in a way that Leonard could only describe as irritated. He couldn't see the kid’s face but he could see the way his body was angled towards the receiver. The mouthpiece mounted to the body of the phone was obstructed from Bone’s view by Jim’s broad shoulders. He was about to call out to tell Jim he’s there when he heard the man speak.

“I don’t care. This isn’t my responsibility.” He stopped short, listening to Jim’s half of the conversation instead. “But, I’m not there, am I?” He paused. “No. No I won’t.” His voice rose. “Of course I care, Sam! This isn’t about me not caring, but this isn’t my problem! It’s yours!” With a sigh, his voice dropped again. “If you do this, I’m not going to be there to pick up the pieces. They’ll just have to find someone else.” Another pause. Leo jumped when Jim slammed the ear piece onto its hook. He turned sharply on his heel and walked onto the sales floor. Leo could see the effort it took for Jim to relax his shoulders and try to shake the tense air around him. He seemed to melt into his usual self once he caught sight of Leo.

“Bones! How long have you been waiting here?” Jim’s tone was light, but Leo knew he had intruded on something very private and he honestly wasn’t sure where he stood with Jim when it came to personal lives just yet.

“Just long enough to hear you slam the earpiece down. Something wrong, Kid?”

Jim’s smile faltered for a split second before it was right back in place. Leo was glad that he didn’t let Jim know exactly how much he had heard.

“Nah, you know. Just family stuff.”

It was then that Leo realized, for all the time he’d been spending with Jim, he had no idea what the kid’s family was like. The bell above the door went off, grating harshly against the doctor’s nerves.

“Well, seeing as you have a customer, should we continue this at the Inn once you close?”

“Yeah, Bones. See you then.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Inn was its usual moderately lit self, with okay food and generous servings of beer. In a small town like Galileo, a place like this often became the central meeting spot, which it had.

Jim and Leo had just sat down in one of the corner tables, a beer in hand. Leo was trying to push the conversation along in a casual manner and failing miserably. Finally he just gave in to curiosity.

“So. Family issues yeah?”

Jim glowered at his beer and took a long drink.

“Yeah. My brother is being...” Jim sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “It’s nothing.”

“Like hell it isn’t.” Jim’s eyes shot up to Leo’s face. The doctor’s eyebrows were nearly touching from the scowl he was giving the clockmaker. “Talk, James.”

Jim hesitated for a moment, his eyes shooting to the door of the inn as if judging how easily he could make an escape. After a moment he sighed,defeated, and focused back on Leo.

“My father died when my brother and I were really young, but I was the baby, so I didn’t have to worry about taking on the responsibilities.” There were a lot of families that had worked for The Bridge for generations. It wasn’t unusual for nobility to pass the torch from parent to child. “My brother is...resentful. He hates the job and keeps trying to convince me I’d be much better at it. “ Jim took a deep breath. He took a sip of his beer and fell quiet.

“You don’t think you would be?” Bones could tell the kid needed to keep talking, but wasn’t sure how to continue.

“I don’t know. Not really. I just sure as hell don’t want the job either. And now he’s threatening to just up and leave it. Which. Well. The ramifications would be...substantial, to say the least.” That seemed to be the end of it, and yet Leo couldn’t help but ask.

“What exactly is the family business?”

“Assassins.” Jim looked at Bones with deadly serious eyes, his mouth a grim line.

“Don’t bullshit a bullshitter, kid.”

“Eh, it was worth a shot.” Jim gave him a shit eating grin.

“Top secret then?”

“Something like that. I’m not supposed to talk about it because they work in The Bridge.”  

So Jim was under Protection. That explained why the kid played so close to the chest.

After the attacks on Starfleet almost twenty years ago, the Royal Family put many families under Protection. They weren’t sent out on diplomatic missions, their private life was not to be told to anyone under certain security levels, and anyone who didn’t stay in Enterprise was supposed to stay quiet for their own safety. Jim’s father must have died in the attacks.

“Pretty high up in the court?” Leo knew he should probably stop pushing, but he wanted to know more about this part of Jim’s life. He wanted to know where the clockmaker, this man with hands that could carve animals that looked alive, came from.

“Yeah. I’m technically under Protection. My brother took my father’s position in court but, uh.” Jim rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I’ve never been much of a courtier. I can do it. But I don’t really like it.”

“I can see that. Doubt they let you tinker with too many clocks in court.”

Jim grinned and laughed. He was obviously much more at ease with this than his family life.

“That’s why I started carving the animals, actually. Way more discreet. Half the time no one realized I was doing it. Spock, my best friend, used to threaten to tell Admiral Pike if I didn’t quit.”Jim had a goofy smile on his face. His glasses were slipping down his nose and Leo wanted reach up and push them back. “Our friend Nyota said Admiral Pike would tell the Queen. He never did tell on me though.” Admiral Pike had been the advisor for the Queen for years. He was well-known in the court for being like an uncle to all the noble children.

It was strange to think about the clockmaker as a noble kid, sitting through the banquets and having to attend balls. It made sense, in a way. Jim hated large crowds, always preferring a few close friends and a crowded table to a crowded room of people he knew only by name.

Leo had grown up in a town a lot like Galileo. Small enough that you knew everyone, but big enough that you made the map. He grew up running through town barefoot in the summers.

Jim grew up learning how to dance with noblewomen.  

“Well, at least you're out now.”

Jim nodded slowly, as if he wasn’t sure how true the statement really was. It worried Leo. People under Protection didn’t usually have to worry about being dragged back to the capital. Enterprise would let them live their lives. Those in Debt—the families guilty of treason—they were the ones who usually had to deal with the Bridge bothering them, or so rumor had it.

Jim turned to the newest figurine he was carving for Joanna.

If their knees knocked together under the table occasionally, neither of them said anything.

Though Leo did raise an eyebrow when Jim laced their fingers together.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Leo overheard another call a few weeks later, though this time he didn’t hide listening in. The call came for Jim in Leo’s home and while the doctor wasn’t sure how they knew to look for Jim there, he didn’t question it. He handed the earpiece over to the blond silently, an eyebrow raised. Jim tried to look confused, but mostly only managed to look resigned and slightly irritated.

“Yes?” Jim listened for a moment to the voice on the other end of the line. It had been a deep steady voice, one that bordered on professional and monotonous. Leo waited in the doorway, leaning against the frame.

“I know what he’s threatening to do, Spock. You don’t have to—” Jim waited for a few more seconds. “No. I won’t.” Jim sighed and rested his forehead against the near by wall. “He won’t. He wouldn’t be that careless.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I know.” He hung up.

“Jim, what’s going on?”

“Oh you know, Bones, family issues.” He turned and sauntered over to the doctor. “Nothing to worry about.” He slipped two fingers into the belt loops of Leo’s trousers, pulling the man flush to his chest. “More pressing matters anyway.” Leo rolled his eyes but let Jim pull him forward, a reluctant smile on his lips.

“That so?” They had never stood this close before and, as much Leo wished he didn’t, he knew that Jim was mostly using it as a distraction from the conversation about his family. He really needed to put a stop to it.

But when Jim’s hands found their way to his waist, and then his back, he was drawing a blank as to exactly why he should put a stop to it. The heat bleeding through his shirt where Jim had put his hands was entirely too distracting. He would just have to think about it later.

Jim leaned in,  and Leo couldn’t help himself. He leaned back, an eyebrow quirked and his lips drawn tight.

“What are you doing?” His voice was low and accusing.

Jim’s head shot back up, his eyes wide.

“I thought—” He stopped mid sentence, understanding dawning on his face. Scowled at the older man. “You’re cruel, Bones.” The doctor snickered, unable to keep a straight face once Jim realized he was teasing.

“Leo. Jim.” The two jumped apart at the sound of Christine’s amused voice voice. Her eyes were teasing as she looked between the two of them. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“Of course not.” Leo said, his voice even and professional, his eyes narrowed. “Did you need something, Christine?”

“Oh, no. Nothing really. Just thought I’d stop by for a chat.” Leo was going to strangle her. Jim just looked embarrassed.

“ I should probably go.” Jim smiled at Leonard and nodded to Christine before making his way to the door.

“Oh, Jim.” She started laughing. “Please, I’m not that cruel, I promise you.” She patted his arm and walked past them to the hallway closet. “I just needed to get my large broom. I left it here a few months ago.” She grabbed the broom and waved cheerily at them as she walked back out the door. Leo followed her movements with narrowed eyes.

“Witch.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Christine ignored the pointed glare she was greeted with when she came into the practice the next day.

“Good morning, Doctor McCoy,” She said cheerily as she set her bag down in her section of the tiny office. “I saw that Jim didn’t stay for dinner; did he have other plans?”

“You’re a witch, Chapel. A cruel, sadistic witch,” Leo grumbled at her half heartedly. “He really did have other plans. Apparently he and Scotty go over some of that madman’s machinery a few times a month.”

The doctor’s office was already set up for the day, waiting on its first patient. The practice was small and so was its home base, just two examination rooms and the side office that doubled as a waiting room. Christine took a seat at her desk and arched an eyebrow at him.

“Which one is the madman? The Northerner or the one with the pretty eyes?” Leo rolled his eyes, ignoring the bait, but Christine wasn’t about to let him off so easily. “He’s sweet, Leo, and completely smitten with you even after you opened your mouth. I think you should keep him.”

The doctor bit his lip and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Jim _was_ sweet, if a little bit edgy. What bothered Leo wasn’t how Jim was around him, but the fact that he knew absolutely nothing about him. The kid’s past was shrouded by carefully worded stories and distracting touches and it was getting hard for Leo to ignore.  

“I don’t really know him,” he admitted.”It’s getting harder to not get too attached, and I barely know him.”

Christine’s brow furrowed as she watched the doctor shift uncomfortably. “Leo, I know you aren’t foolish enough to think that you won’t get to know the man. What’s really bothering you?”

Leo sighed in defeat. Damn that woman, she knew him too well.

“I’m afraid he might be in Debt.” He leaned forward, resting his arm on the edge of the desk and rubbing absently at the stubble on his cheek. “He seems to get calls from Enterprise every few weeks. Every time it sounds like someone is trying to convince him take responsibility for something.” Leo swallowed hard. People in Debt did not live easy lives if Enterprise was focused on them. Paying for the sins of their fathers wasn’t right, but it was the reality. If Jim had to take over his brother’s court position Leo would likely never see the kid again. Inwardly, Leo cursed himself for thinking of that before thinking of how miserable Jim would be if he was shoved back into court. “I’m just afraid of what that could mean.”

“Leonard McCoy!” Christine slapped her hand down on her desk with surprising force, the loud crack made Leo jump just as much as her stern tone had. “You of all people know that Debt is an injustice. I’m surprised at you. That boy is no more guilty of his father’s crime than Joanna would be of yours.”

Quickly putting his hands up to ward off any more of Christine’s anger.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” he insisted. “I don’t know if he’s even in Debt. I’m just afraid of what I don’t know about him.”

Christine softened, but regarded Leo with a serious expression. “That’s true of everyone, Leo. Have you even kissed him yet?”He shook his head and Christine smirked at the blush that had started to heat his face. “Give it time. There’s no need to jump to the worst conclusions when you’ve barely started out.”

Loath as he was to admit it, Leo knew that she was right. He heaved a mighty sigh and slumped back into his chair.

“As long as I don’t have to go live on the Bridge, I guess I’ll survive.” He smiled when Christine laughed.

“Can you imagine? Lord Leonard McCoy, Doctor of the Enterprise.” Christine wiped away non-existent tears dramatically. Leo just shook his head, knowing she wasn’t joking about his ability to be a doctor in the capital.  “As long as you don’t go on the Bridge you should be fine. Remember, the trick is to not look down.”

 

 


	4. Part IV

It was weeks before anything about Jim's mysterious situation came up again. He had closed the practice early, the last two appointments had canceled last minute and Joanna had all but begged to stay with a friend for the next two days. As a result he found himself at the shop just a few minutes before it closed. 

He was just about to grab the handle when the door flew open. A tall man with dark hair and eyes looked down at him. 

“Hello.” It was the voice from the phone. Spock, Jim had called him.

“...Hello.” 

“You are here to see James, I take it?” The man stood in the entryway, making it impossible for Leo to slip by. 

“No, I came to see a man about a horse.” The doctor kept his face as passive as Spock’s. 

Spock raised an eyebrow.

“I do not see why you would need to come here to see-”

“Spock. Really. Just.” Jim pushed on the tall man’s shoulders, urging him to continue out the door. “Please just leave.” Spock gave a huff that Leo could only assume was a sigh and left. “Sorry about him. He’s very...” Jim struggled to find the word, “literal.” The younger man looked mussed, as if he had been pulling at his hair. His face was drawn and a little pale. 

“You okay?” Leo looked him up and down, afraid to see a bruise that would hint that Spock hadn’t been there on friendly terms. 

“No. Not really. But, what can you do. Come on, lets just go upstairs.” He turned around and shut the door behind him, the soft click of the key being turned in the lock reached Leo’s ears. Jim motioned for him to follow and led him to a doorway near the side with the bakery. Leo followed Jim up rickety stairs lined with by the stone walls of the building until they reached the door at the top. Another snick of another lock and Jim walked them inside. 

It was an open apartment. The kitchen to the right, a stove, an icebox, and a table with two chairs resting on clean white tiles.  The bathroom, the only closed off part of the room, was directly to the left. The rest of the floor was  plush chocolate colored carpet. Directly against the back wall was a bookshelf and a desk, both stacked worryingly full with novels. To the left of that was a large bed that sat directly on the floor. The plush looking pillows offering a barrier against the soft beige walls. 

“Home sweet home.” Jim smiled weakly and kicked off his shoes at the door. He unbuttoned his waistcoat and draped it over the back of one of the chairs. Leo followed suit. Both down to just a shirt and their trousers. Bones in formal black with a white shirt and Jim in the more playful gray with a loose, pale blue shirt.

“That man was wearing a Starfleet uniform.” He knew he was stating the obvious, but he couldn’t help it. He was worried. “Jim, that man was wearing a Starfleet uniform from the _Bridge._ ” Jim didn’t saying anything to confirm this, but he sure as hell didn’t deny it either. 

There were stories about people who were in Debt to Starfleet. People from the Bridge having to come and settle it with them. Some stories were straight forward payments, others were a little more violent. 

“Jim, what’s going on?”

Leo’s voice was as gentle as the hand he put on the clockmakers shoulder. Jim heaved a sigh and leaned into the touch. 

“I’d rather not talk about it, if that’s alright.” He lead the doctor over to the bed and made him sit. With surprising grace he dropped onto the bed and settled himself between Leo’s legs.  Pressing his cheek to the older man’s chest Jim sighed and closed his eyes. “I just want to lay here for awhile.” 

Leo ran his fingers through the blond hair tenderly. 

“Alright, kid.” 

In a matter of moments, they were both asleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t care what everyone has been sayin’.” Scotty jabbed at the inn table with determined force. “There is something rotten going on in Enterprise and the ‘Fleet is struggling to keep it under control.” 

Leo shook his head with a sigh. It was the third time this week that Scotty had gone on a rant about the trouble in the capital and this time Jim wasn’t even here to derail the conversation by bringing up machines. “It’s the political center of the kingdom, Monty. Of course there’s something going on. There’s _always_ something going on.” 

Scotty let out a disgusted scoff. “Not like this there isn’t. This is something happening in The Bridge. Just you watch, lad.” He took a swig of his drink before he set the glass down and eyed Leo with unconcealed curiosity. “Have you and Jim sealed the deal yet?”

It took every ounce of Leo’s control not to drop his drink. He stared at Scotty blankly instead. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re talking about.” 

“I’m sure you don’t.”

“I have an early day tomorrow. I should get going.” Leo stood quickly and dropped a few coins on the table to pay for his tab. 

The Northerner snorted into his glass and waved Leo off with a grin. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The clock shop was quiet. Jim was sitting at the front like he usually did and Leo took a moment to watch him through the decorated window. He loved to watch Jim work. The man’s hands moved with a confidence that made Leo’s heart stutter in an embarrassing way. He just couldn’t stop the amazement he felt seeing the tiny sculptures and complicated gears came to life under those fingers.  Taking a deep breath Leo stepped into the shop and couldn’t help but smile back at the grin that greeted him. 

“I was wondering if you were going to come in or just stand outside staring all afternoon.” Jim set down the watch he was working on and picked up his glasses.

“How did you know it was me without those on?” Leo jerked his head towards the frames in Jim’s hand. Jim without his glasses proved to have the long distance sight of a mole. 

“I can recognize the shape of you now. It happens if I spend enough time with someone.” Jim leaned over the counter with a wink. “What can I do for you, Bones?”

“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.” Leo shifted nervously, feeling his stomach drop unpleasantly when the grin started to fall of off Jim’s face. “I just...with the way things are going,” Leo rubbed the back of his neck and tried to quell the churning of his stomach. This was turning out to be even more difficult than he thought. He groaned softly and rubbed his face in frustration. He wasn’t usually the kind of man to waffle like this. Taking another deep breath he tried again. 

“I like you, kid. I really like you and I want to see where this goes, but I know almost nothing about you.” Jim’s face was serious and placid, but Leo could see the panic screaming in his eyes, which only made Leo feel more nervous about the whole thing. “I need to know if...if you’re in Debt. Or any kind of trouble, for that matter. I’m not saying it’s a deal breaker. I’m just saying that I need to know  what I’m dealing with here. Am I going to have to be worried about Joanna, or my business? Do I have to worry about you disappearing in the middle of the night, or being called back to The Bridge? I just,” Leo faltered, letting his hands drop limply to his side. “I need to know, Jim. Because I’m fallin’ for you hard and fast here.”

Jim stared at him for a long moment before moving out from behind the counter. He took Leo’s face between his hands, unwittingly smearing grease along Leo’s cheek. 

“I’m not in Debt.” 

Leo was almost ashamed of the relief that flooded his gut. He relaxed into Jim’s hands and swallowed hard when Jim gave him a small, crooked smile. 

“So what is going on with all these phone calls?” 

Jim sighed and stroked over Leo’s cheek again. “I told you my brother wants me to take his place in court? It looks like he’s getting more and more flighty and other people at The Bridge are trying to convince me to come back and take over for him. But, there’s a bit of a problem.” 

Leo watched Jim’s face intently. “What’s that?”

“I have more reason to stay now than I ever did before.” Without warning Jim leaned in and captured Leo’s lips with his own. The kiss was warm and slow and it sent a steady surge of pleasure straight to Leo’s chest. 

Leo gripped Jim’s worn apron with both hands and leaned into the kiss with a contented sigh. 

And that was the last the spoke of the frequent calls from Enterprise for weeks.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo could have sworn he always banked the fire before going to bed. He _knew_ he always did. But then why was he so warm? He wasn’t quite so desperate for the answer that he was ready to open his eyes, but when he felt warm fingers start sliding their way up his chest, he was a little more willing to at least open one. 

Jim was leaning between Leo’s legs, his hands stroking across the doctor’s chest, now open to the warm air of Jim’s apartment. Apparently the clockmaker had decided that Leo had too many buttons at some point. He closed his eye again. It was too early for him to deal with that kind of image. One of Jim’s strong, stained hands working their way across his chest, up his shoulders. 

Those hands moved off his body and rested on either side of Leo’s head. 

“I saw you open an eye, Bones. I know you’re awake.” Leo grunted noncommittally. Jim huffed a soft laugh and the next thing he knew, there were a pair of soft, dry lips pressed against his. 

The kiss was gentle and almost chaste. Jim’s right hand came up to cup Leo’s jaw as he  pressed down harder into it. Bones sleep heavy body wasn’t quite sure how to react. A hand made it too Jim’s hip, stroking the soft skin that was exposed from where Jim’s shirt rode up. The clockmaker hummed against the doctor’s mouth. There was a sharp bite to his bottom lip and Bones drew in a sharp breath. He could feel Jim’s smirk against his lips.

He opened his eyes and found Jim’s startlingly blue ones looking back. He pulled away and groaned. 

“Only you, Jim.” He squeezed his eyes shut again. “Only you would keep your eyes open when kissing someone.” 

“What can I say, Bones.” Jim hadn’t moved his hand from the doctor’s face. Now he slipped it underneath Leo’s head and pulled him close again. “I can’t help but look at that gorgeous face.”

The kiss wasn’t even in the same realm as chaste this time. It was hard, dirty and just on this side of desperate. Leo grabbed the other man’s hips, which Jim took as a hint to grind down on him. Hard. He would have have lost himself in it if it hadn’t been for the awful and sudden ringing of the phone hanging above the counter in Jim’s kitchen. 

Both of them groaned and Jim dropped his head to Bones’ shoulder. Two more rings and he sighed, dragging himself off the bed and across the room. He picked it up. 

“What?” There was a brief silence. “Chekov, calm down what are you-” There was a banging at the door. Jim’s brow furrowed. “I’m going to have to call you back.”  He hung up the phone and padded over to the door to unlock it. 

The lock had barely slid all the way back before Scotty came bursting through the door making Jim take a few quick steps backwards. 

“The King abdicated.” 

There was no fuss about the sentence. Then again, there would be enough fuss with news like that. Scotty was practically jumping on the spot. 

“The bloody King abdicated the throne. The entire Kingdom is in a flustered fuck fest. He did it completely without warning.” Leo stared at the Northerner. 

“Scotty, are you sure?” He didn’t really want to believe it. The Royal family, for all the complaining they had done a couple of months ago, was well loved by their people. They had a hard last couple of decades and faced it with as much grace as could be expected. Until now apparently. The King had given up at the age of 28. A mere ten years on the throne in a family who usually went upwards of 60, sometimes skipping children and leaving the crown to grandchildren. 

“Of course I’m fucking sure! I heard it from a Starfleet lad who lives at the Bridge. Listen, I just thought I should let you know. I have to go tell Keenser and Rand. They don’t have phones.” With that, Scotty bolted out the door again. Leaving a stunned Jim and Bones staring after him.

“Well,” Leo started. “That’s interesting news. I’m sure Enterprise is all kinds of stormy right now.” He turned to look at Jim. Except Jim wasn’t there. 

Jim was considerably lower. The kid had sat down hard on the ground in between the bed and the kitchen. His head was in his hands and he was muttering something. Leo jumped to his feet and almost ran the three strides it took to get to Jim’s side. 

“Jim. Jim, what’s wrong?” he knelt down and put his hand on the back of Jim’s neck. He could hear the soft chant coming from the clockmaker’s mouth.

“Oh fuck. Oh fuck oh fuck fuck fuck me.” 

All the worst of scenarios were running through Leo’s head. Jim’s family worked for the King, his brother wasn’t going to have to quit his job because he just lost it. They were on the run after the attacks on Starfleet members about two decades ago and Jim’s only protection had been through the current monarch. He finally squeezed the back of Jim’s neck, trying to tell the kid to look at him. “Jim, you’re still under Protection. They can’t send you on talks with Narada or anything like that. The new king isn’t going to remove those.” 

Jim’s shoulders shook and Leo was surprised to see that Jim was laughing. It was a broken kind of wheezing, a little unhinged, but he was definitely laughing. 

“You’re right. He’s just going to have to step right in.” Jim’s voice was thin and skeptical. It sent red flags waving through Leo’s head. Admittedly, the King’s younger brother wasn’t exactly everyone’s first bet when it came to reliability, but certainly the Prince wouldn’t just let Terra fall apart. 

“Kid, tell me what’s wrong.” 

Finally Jim looked up, giving Bones the weakest smile the doctor had ever seen.

“I just became King.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't forgotten this story! Life and writers block got in the way, but I've started working on it again and hope to have another chapter up soon!


	5. Part V

There wasn’t much Leonard McCoy felt he couldn’t handle. He’d been wrist deep in someone’s abdomen more than once. He’d stitched fingers, ears, and even an entire hand back on before. If there was a crisis, you would want McCoy’s steady hands and steady head around. Hell, the guy had even managed to find a way to comfort his hysterical seven-year-old daughter. 

So it must be said that it was something that Leo was struggling to keep himself calm as he watched Jim have a right and truly understandable freak out. 

The clockmaker, no, the prince, _no_ , _the god damned King,_ was rocking back and forth, taking deep breaths and repeating “fuck” over and over again. 

“Jim.”

Another string of fucks.

“Jim. Come on.” Leo went over and pulled the kid off the ground. He dragged him over to one of the simple wooden chairs at the small square table and dropped him in it. The doctor took the other chair and put his hands on Jim’s knees. “Look at me.” Jim looked up and swallowed hard. “Good. Now I’m going to count to three, and you are going to take one deep breath and calm. Down. One. Two.” Jim was holding his breath, looking at Leo expectantly. “Three.” He took one long shuddering breath and let it out. 

“Thanks, Bones.”

“Okay. Feel a little better?”

“No.” Leo had to admit that was understandable. They sat in silence for a moment. “You’re pissed at me aren’t you?” 

“Yes, Jim. I am.” He didn’t take too kindly to having things kept from him. And it wasn’t like he hadn’t made the effort to get to know the clockmaker.

“Yeah, I can understand that.” The blond rubbed his face and let his head drop to the table top with a thud. He pressed his cheek to the flat surface and looked up at the doctor. “So now that you know, any questions? I could use the distraction.”

Leo thought a good one to start with would have been “Why the hell did you let me fall in love with you?” but considering the current circumstances he would leave that one for later. 

The doctor had no idea what to ask. He grasped for something. 

“So, James. As in Prince James.” 

Jim sat up and put his chin in his palm. His response was mocking and almost bitter.

“Yeah. His Royal Highness, Prince of Terra, James Tiberius Kirk.”

“Shit.” Hearing the name only used by the Royal Family made the situation seem a little more overwhelming. “Your brother. Sam. George Samuel Kirk. Your father died in the Narada attacks. Dear God above, Jim!” 

Jim gave him a wry smile.

“Yeah, you can see why I didn’t really mention it before.” That was treading on dangerous ground. McCoy needed better control of the situation, he needed information.

“Why did your brother abdicate?” 

Jim let out a frustrated sigh and rubbed his eyes. 

“He’s been threatening to for awhile. He never wanted to be King, always thought he’d be better helping people on a more personal level.” 

“We all have to do things we don’t want to,” Leo said and Jim actually blushed at that.  Apparently the statement had hit a little closer to home than Leo had intended. 

“Yeah well. The younger son running off and washing his hands of anything to do with The Bridge; that might have created a little resentment.” Jim covered his face with his hands. “He kept telling me that I had to come back and take responsibility some time. He honestly thinks I’m better for it than he is.” 

Sam would be alone in this. The majority of the kingdom felt that the eldest son was a better bet than the wild young prince that had been the people’s favorite gossip subject for years. James Tiberius had been on the end of scandal more than once. The Klingon princess, a joyride with a very new and very expensive machine, not to mention an incident with tribbles that could still leave the most somber party roaring with laughter. 

When the prince had stopped showing up in the papers that got passed around from town to town, most people figured he had been put straight by the Queen Mother. 

It seemed things had been a little more complicated than that. 

“So a clockmaker?”

Jim gave a tired chuckle and looked through his fingers at Leo.

“I like to tinker. Starfleet always kept me around to work on things, became a member when I was 16. When I realized that lashing out was only going to get me _more_ attention from Chris, sorry, Admiral Pike, and not less, I decided to set up somewhere quiet on my own.”  Leo didn’t think tinker really was a good word for the work that Jim did. The life-like, tiny animals and the mechanical intricacies of the beautiful movements in the clock faces were more of an art than a hobby. 

The doctor watched Jim’s face for a long moment. The next question was really purely selfish.

“You have cousins that can take the throne, don’t you?”

The cloudy expression that overtook Jim’s face was more than enough of an answer, but he let the kid talk anyway.

“Kahn. He would take the throne in a heart beat. I may not be as involved in the kingdom as I could have been, but there is no way in hell that I’d let it fall to that bastard. And trust me, if he gets any real power, the kind that comes with the crown, Terra as we know it would cease to exist.” Jim was picking at the edge of his cuff now, avoiding Leonards eyes. “I think that’s the only reason it took Sam this long to abdicate. He needed to make sure I would step in. Though now… Now I think he’s just tired. He doesn’t care anymore as long as he’s not the one wearing the crown.”

Leo rubbed soothing circles into the back of Jim’s hand softly. “And your mother?”

Jim shook his head and rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. “She isn’t a Kirk, she only got to rule as long as Sam was underage.” He groaned and pulled his hand away from Leo’s to cover his face. “I’m the damned _king_ , Bones!”

Leo shifted in his chair and ran a hand down his own face to give himself a moment to gather his thoughts. Jim was a shaking mess in front of him and Leo could practically feel the tension that would lead to Jim bolting for the door to disappear into obscurity in a way he hadn’t quite achieved in Galileo. “What are you going to do, Jim?” Deep down Leo was already certain of the answer, but he had a feeling that Jim needed to hear himself say it. 

“I…” He looked up at Leo, defeat in his eyes and the shock finally wearing off. “I’m going to go back to Enterprise and The Bridge. Tara needs a king, and I can’t let that be Khan.” They fell into silence, absorbing the reality of what Jim needed to do. 

The silence stretched out over them. Neither one knew what to say and the sensation was so purely awkward only because it had never happened to them before. Their time together had been filled with lively conversation, banter, teasing flirtations, even a few quiet moments, but never, never, silence. 

“Come with me?” Jim’s soft words sounded like a hammer on glass, shattering the tense moment, but leaving something worse behind. “Please.” He reached out and grasped both of Leo’s hands in his own. “I love you. I love you and I can’t imagine a life without you by my side.” 

It hurt to see the need in Jim’s eyes, but Leo already knew his answer. “I can’t, Jim. My life is here, my practice, Joanna…”

Jim’s eyes slid shut and he pressed trembling lips to Leo’s fingers. “I know.” He took a deep breath and pulled away. “I know. I’m sorry I asked, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t.” 

The silence overtook them again only breaking when the phone rang. Jim went to it. 

“Yes, Spock. I heard. Chekov was trying to explain when a friend came and told me.” Jim paused, listening, he turned away from Leo slightly to lean against the kitchen counter. “He gets excited and his accent gets heavier. I couldn’t understand him.” 

Leo took a shuddering breath and stood. He grabbed his waistcoat, his jacket and his shoes. He left before Jim could protest, not bothering with a goodbye when he felt as if his throat was closed anyway. He rode his bicycle home barefoot and lost the waistcoat somewhere on the way. He knew if he stopped now he would either turn around and go back to Jim, or risk Jim finding him.

He left Joanna at her friend’s house until he was sure he would be able to pretend he was fine for her. Somehow he had managed to carry the oppressive silence from Jim’s flat, home. It lay over him like a stifling blanket, restricting his lungs and bring wet heat to his eyes. He hadn’t even know Jim for a full year, and yet, the loss felt almost as acute as Jocelyn’s. Leo didn’t understand how Jim leaving could compare to the death of his wife of ten years. It shouldn’t have even come close. Perhaps it was the suddenness of Jim’s departure. One day here, the next day gone. Jocelyn has been sick for almost two years before she drifted away. 

The thought of his wife made Leo’s heart clench and his stomach roll. His lovely, sweet, Jocelyn. The mother of his beloved daughter. The first and last person to ever hold the entirety of Leo’s heart in their hands. He could almost feel the gentle brush of her fingertips over his forehead as he thought of how she would have swept his hair back and clucked at him knowingly. “You’re being an utter fool Leo McCoy. Love always hurts once you lose it. You aren’t comparing us, you’re just hurting.”

Leo closed his eyes and tried to breath against the roll of pain the ran through his heart. It was all too much right now. Jim, Jocelyn, the loss of one bringing the loss of the other far too close to the surface. And so he slept.

The next day he went to work as if nothing had happened, warding off Christine’s questions with pointed looks and a wave of his hand. 

He only heard about the procession that came in to escort the new king home. His patients eager to share the latest story in the long line of James Tiberius’ odd life. He had to remind himself that he had no right to be hurt that Jim didn’t come to say goodbye.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter chapter is a little short and, probably like the next few chapters, is unbeta'd. I'll get to fixing the unbeta'd part soon hopefully. But hey! At least it wasn't as long a wait this time right??


	6. Part VI

**Part VI**

 

“Are you done pitying yourself?” Christine was leaning over his desk, her weight braced on her palms, blocking his view of the office and forcing him to look at her. Her usually gentle smile replaced with the firm, no-nonsense, glare usually reserved for particularly stubborn patients.

Leo grit his teeth and tried to focus on filling out the chart in front of him. “I’m not pitying myself.” He had to physically fight back wincing when he could practically Christine’s eyes narrow.

“You, Doctor McCoy, are a stubborn fool.” When Leo didn’t respond she pursed her lips and slapped a thick envelope down in front of him. “When you remove your head from your ass, that is for you.” She turned sharply on her heel and sat down at her desk.

The envelope was made of the finest parchment that Leo had ever seen. A creamy white with dark gold lettering stating his name and the address of his office. In the corner was the embossed royal seal. Leo ran his fingers over the grooves of the lion’s mane. With a sigh he stole a glance at Christine, who was busy writing out medication labels with far more force than Leo thought was strictly necessary.

It had been three weeks since Jim had left Galileo for Enterprise. All of Terra had been buzzing with the news of the change of power. Leo had been doing his best to ignore all of it and failing miserably. Just yesterday he had goaded Scotty into telling him what news he had from the Capital. All he got was “It’s in an uproar, Leo. What are you expecting?”

Gritting his teeth he shoved the envelope away and turned back to his chart. He heard the scrape of Christine’s chair as she turned around to stare at him pointedly.

“Fine!”  He snatched the letter up again and ripped it open. He pulled out a heavily adorned card. The looping letters informed him that he was officially invited to the Coronation Ball of His Royal Highness, Prince of Terra, James Tiberius Kirk. To take place in eight days time. Leo dropped the card and dragged his hand over his face roughly. “I can’t believe he actually invited me.”

A shadow fell over his desk and Christine snatched up the invitation before he could swat her hands away. She turned it over and smirked. “What?”

“You missed the message on the back.”

“The what?”

“Doctor McCoy,” She read. “While Prince James Tiberius was adamant that you would not wish to attend his coronation, I feel that it would be in the best interest of all involved if you would make an appearance as the Prince has been despondent since his return to the capital. Your daughter is, of course, invited to join you. Please respond as quickly as possible. If you are amenable, transport will arrive in three days to take you to The Bridge. Sincerely, Spock Lord Chamberlain under James Tiberius Kirk.”

Christine looked over the letter, her smirk slowly grew wider with each passing moment. “It sounds like His Highness is pining after you.”

Leo groaned and tried to rub away the headache settling in behind his eyes. “I was going to go before the letter even got here, wasn’t I?”

“What does it feel like to be hopelessly in love with a king, Leo?”

“Well,” Leo offered weakly, “he’s technically still a prince for eight more days.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Joanna was nearly bouncing out of her shoes by the time the carriage to pick them up pulled up in front of the house. Despite the mixture of dread and doubt churning in Leo’s stomach, the sight of his daughter wide-eyed and grinning made him smile.

“Daddy, do we get to get dressed up for the ball?” She watched as a slender man stepped out of the mechanical carriage.

“I can only imagine so, Jojo. A coronation is a very big todo.”

The man smiled and nodded at them in greeting. He was sharply dressed for a man who had been traveling and seemed generally good humored if the playfulness around his eyes was anything to go by. His eyes were the elegant shape of those who came from the east, but when he spoke his accent was typical for someone born and raised in Enterprise. He stuck out his hand for Leo to shake and Leo took it with a nod.

“Hello, Doctor McCoy. I’m Hikaru Sulu and I’ll be escorting you back to the capital.” Sulu turned from him to Joanna and gave her a sweeping bow. “And you must be Miss Joanna. You are the only one pretty enough to be who James Tiberius told me about.”

Joanna giggled and curtsied back, obviously pleased with the attention. “Thank you, Mister Sulu.” Sulu winked at her and quickly started to gather up their bags to place them in the carriage.

“It takes two days to travel by the carriage, so we’ll be stopping for the night in Makus.” Sulu helped Joanna step into the cab and held the door open for Leo to step in after her. The inside of the carriage was a plush burgundy with padded seats and velvet curtains tied back from the small windows. A little light hung from the ceiling, just barely high enough to keep Leo’s head from brushing against it. “Rooms have already been arranged. Once we’re at the capital Pavel will help you get settled.” Sulu smiled as Leo nodded his understanding. “Things are fairly busy, which is no surprise to you I’m sure, but we’ll do our best to make sure you’re given the attention you need.” Without another word Sulu swung up into the driver's seat and started the carriage up. The humming rumble of the machine had Joanna at the tiny window between the driver’s compartment and theirs in a heart beat. She looked at Sulu’s hands moving over the controls with unconcealed glee.

“Do you get to drive this all the time, Mister Sulu?”

Sulu grinned and started steering them down the road. “Usually only when His Highness is in need of a chauffeur. I’m his bodyguard, so I get to drive him wherever he might need to go.”

Leo barely held back a snorting laugh at the thought of Jim needing a bodyguard. “I suppose you spend a lot more time chasing His Highness than escorting him.” There was a put upon sigh from the driver’s compartment that left Leo smiling despite himself.

“You wouldn’t be wrong, Doctor.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo couldn’t remember the last time he had spent the night in an inn. Though the room was lavishly furnished, bed was nearly as comfortable his own, and Joanna’s soft, steady breaths were a calming sound beside him, he couldn’t sleep. Even in the soft twilight just before dawn he found himself watching Joanna’s sleep soft face, her little mouth slack against the pillow. He couldn’t help but wonder if he bringing her along had been a good idea at all. For as excited as she was to play princess for the ball, to see the capital and travel with her father, Leo couldn’t stop thinking about how she would fit into his reunion with Jim. Would their meeting be explosive? Stilted? Would he even get to see Jim at all? When it came down to it Leo knew what to expect from Jim. Jim would be there waiting for them when they stepped out of the carriage. He would grab Joanna up in a hug before turning to Leo and pressing a sweet and longing kiss to his mouth and holding him just this side of too tight, wordlessly begging for him to understand and promising a talk later once they had settled in after their trip.

But Leo didn’t know what to expect from the Crown Prince James Tiberius. His one in encounter with the man had been more Jim than James. Would Jim even be allowed to see them? Sulu had already told him that Jim’s personal assistant, Chekov, would be escorting them during their stay in the capital. Jim would be busy with the mess his brother had left behind and the coronation. Yet Leo couldn’t shake the feeling that, somehow, whether it be with Jim or James Tiberius, he would find himself in the company of the Prince. The King.

These thoughts eventually followed Leo into a dream of himself crowning Jim while Joanna watched. Jim looked up at him with a crooked smile and offered him a small carved horse which danced in his palm, mane flicking with an unseen wind before it toppled off Jim’s long, elegant fingers. He woke desperately trying to catch the tiny creature and gasping for breath. Moments later Sulu knocked at their door and cheerfully informed him that breakfast was waiting and they would leave as soon as they were finished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Leo wasn’t sure who was more in awe of the the capital, Joanna, or him. The carriage drove them down bustling streets full of sights,sounds, and smells that saturated the air. The clattering of feet, wheels, and hooves on cobblestone barely sounded above the din of voices chatting, laughing, and haggling goods. It would have been overwhelming if it weren’t for the undeniable fact that people here were living in comfort. The high buildings surrounding them were shining and clean. The people were well dressed and well spoken. Cultures moved and blended together like watercolor, each distinct yet flowing together to create something new and beautiful. People from the east, the west, the north, the south, all mingled together as if there had never been a separation of their people at all.

Leo fell in love with the opulence of it almost immediately. There was something intoxicating about the richness of culture and people.

Joanna was just as taken by everything swirling around them as he was. She pointed excitedly with every new thing they passed and Leo found himself grinning and pointing right along with her.

Soon enough they were pulling past the large gate topped with the Kirk’s crest of a proud and regally reclining lion gazing up at a shining star. The long graveled road lead to the front of the Palace, shining and bright among the surrounding rolling hills. It’s arching doors and sturdy walls were welcoming and warm. Two tall towers rose to the east and to the west, spiraled high and connected by a covered bridge with swirling supports and tall windows. The Bridge, in all her glory, standing proudly above the city.

The carriage rolled to a stop in front of the towering doors that lead into the palace. Waiting at the bottom of the steps was a young man with bouncing curls and an eager smile. Leo heard the crunch of gravel as Sulu hopped out of the vehicle and opened the door for them. He again offered a hand to help Joanna who took it if only to give herself balance as she stared around her in awe. The young man at the stairs rushed forward.

“Hello! I am Pavel Chekov and I’ll be escorting you while you stay at the palace. There is quite a bit to be done, Hikaru will make sure your things are placed in your rooms. Would you like to see those first or perhaps you would rather have something to eat–”

Leo blinked at Chekov in bewilderment. He had the heavy accent of someone from the Northwest and spoke faster than even Scotty. Finally Sulu let out a snorting laugh that endeared him to Leo even more. “Give them a moment to breath, Pavel.”

Chekov blushed, but his grin stayed in place, lighting up his face in a way that made him look as if he was a part of the city itself. “My apologies. We have had quite a lot going on, I suppose I got a little over excited.”

“I can only imagine,” Leo offered weakly as Joanna giggled. Chekov laughed and ushered them up the stone steps and into the palace. The silvery stone walls instantly made Leo feel at home for reasons he couldn’t quite place. Warm and bright tapestries lined the walls and guided their path towards their rooms. Chekov chattered on about their plans as he walked them through the winding hallways, seeming to trust that his two guests would be able to keep up with him and not seeming to notice that Leo barely caught a word he said. Finally he stopped at a dark door, carved with intricate designs of wildflowers and dancing horses. He ushered them inside.

The room was luxurious. A large, plush, four poster was pushed against the left wall, it’s curtains of gold and blue tied back to reveal soft pillows and a mountain of blankets. Joanna was buried in them almost instantly, squealing with delight as she sunk into the waves of fabric. The walls were decorated with oil paintings of wild hills and running horses. The flooers were padded with intricately woven rugs that alluded to the designs of the east. The back wall was mostly taken up by a window that looked out over the city.

Leo found himself drawn to it, so taken by the sight of the city’s sprawling roads and movement, he barely gave any thought to the drop that awaited him if he leaned too far forward. How could he give a second thought to the height when such a captivating view lay before him.

“Well, Doctor McCoy,” Chekov pipped up cheerily from behind him, “Welcome to Enterprise.” 


	7. Part VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it's been so long! Life gets in the way unfortunately. 
> 
> This is a shorter chapter and it's still unbetaed just like the last few, but at least we're getting somewhere. I'll probably be going through this story to fix it up once I get it completed. For now I just want to get the entire story out! There are two maybe three parts left.

**Part VII**

Uhura, Leo decided, was a force to be reckoned with. She walked briskly down the stone halls of the palace, expecting Leo to stay in step with her without hesitation. He had learned from Chekov that Uhura had first been placed in charge of Prince James’ image during his rebellious stage and had been keeping him in line ever since, running his day to day operations with a strong hand. Leo wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that she was the one who had set Jim up in Galileo.

“This,” she explained as she lead them into a room, “is where Miss Joanna will be fitted for her dress for the coronation.” She turned to the child with a warm smile that made Leo feel instantly at ease. For all that Uhura seemed to be all business, she obviously knew how to address a person individually. “Will you be alright if I take your Daddy to get his own outfit ready?”

Joanna nodded, already starting towards the bolts of soft fabrics lining the walls, awe lighting up her face. “Daddy can I get one in green?”

“Of course, Jojo. Anything you want.”

Joanna grinned up at him hugged him quickly before going to the woman waiting next to the fitting platform. Uhura ushered him into the next room over.

“Gaila will be taking care of your attire while you’re staying in Enterprise. She handles Prince James’ wardrobe as well, so you’re in very good hands.”

“I really don’t need much,” Leo tried to protest. He had never been one for extravagant clothing. Crisp and well fitted, yes, but not over the top.

Uhura simply waved his objections away. “You are going to be attending the coronation and quite possibly other events. It’s a matter of our image as much as yours. Ah, Gaila there you are.”

Within moments Leo found himself being pushed and prodded by a bright-eyed woman with bright red curls. Uhura bit back a smile. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

Gaila hummed in acknowledgement, but continued to go over Leo with a singular interest. Finally she stepped back and looked him up and down. “I can see what all the fuss is about. Jim always did have good taste in men.”

Leo balked at the casual tone, making Gaila throw her head back in laughter. “I’m sorry. James Tiberius is a mouth full for a man I’ve known since we were children. The others try to show the proper respect, but I like to keep him humble.”

“It seems he could have used it from time to time,” Leo rubbed at his temple tiredly. “I shouldn’t be surprised that he surrounds himself with such a variety of people.” With a sigh Leo let Gaila step forward to measure him.

“You say you shouldn’t be surprised, but you certainly seem it.”

Leo hesitated for a moment before agreeing. “His life seemed very...simple when we first met. I’m having trouble reconciling Jim the clock maker and Prince James Tiberius being the same man.”

Gaila hummed softly. “In all honesty, Doctor, I think you’ll find they are far more similar than you would believe.”

The fitting took less time than Leo would have expected. Gaila had pulled clothing that only needed minor adjustments, saying he was similar enough in size to some of the courtiers that sewing an entirely new outfit in time for the coronation would be unnecessary. Gaila stepped out to find pair of boots to match.

Leo ran his fingers over the shimmering fabric of the waistcoat, taking in the amazing blue. It was finer than anything he had ever worn, even more so than the suit he wore to his and Jocelyn’s wedding. Oddly enough he didn’t feel out of place in the tailored gray trousers and fitted cream shirt.

“You know,” a soft voice came from behind Leo. His eyes snapped up to look in the mirror, heart jumping when he saw Jim standing behind him. “It’s considered to be in poor taste to look better than the Prince at his own coronation.” Jim was wearing riding clothes, the loose shirt pulling open across his chest, but Leo barely noticed it. All he could focus on was the impressive cut running across Jim’s left eyebrow.

“It won’t be very hard with half your face stitched together. What on earth did you do?” It certainly wasn’t the first thing Leo had planned on saying to Jim, but it felt more natural than any kind of apology he had been running through since he got the invitation.

“Sam and I had a disagreement when I arrived.” Jim winced as he brushed a hand over the small stitches. “Don’t worry, both Nyota and Spock have thoroughly reprimanded me for picking a fight before the ceremony. Though they were gracious enough to wait until after the medics took a look at it. I doubt you would have done the same.”

“I’m a very good multi-tasker, I could have stitched and scolded at the same time.” Leo continued to watch Jim in the mirror, taking a strange comfort in not having to face him directly. Jim looked tired and drawn. “Are you alright?”

Jim was quiet, but smiled softly.

“I’m glad you came, Bones.”

“Jim!” Jim turned and knelt quickly to swoop the running Joanna into his arms. He stood and swung her around with a laugh.

“Miss Joanna! Did you come all this way to see me?”

Joanna grinned and wrapped her arms around Jim’s neck. “Papa and I came to see you.” The correction earned a glance into Leo’s direction from Jim, but Joanna didn’t notice. “I’m going to be wearing a green dress to your ball.”

“Green? I can’t imagine a prettier color.” Jim tapped her nose, eyes crinkling around the edges as he grinned at her. “Did you see how handsome your papa looks?”

Leo tried to swallow down the lump in his throat at the sight of Jim holding Joanna. He had forgotten how well Jim had seemed to fit into his life. Joanna looked over her father appraisingly before giving a satisfied nod.  

“Sire,” Spock's stern voice came through the door shortly before he appeared in Leo’s line of sight. “I’m afraid Nyota needs your opinion on a few details for the coronation.”

Jim gave a heavy sigh and set Joanna down. “Miss Joanna, if you would please excuse me.” He bowed deeply to her, catching Leo’s eye as he straightened. “Perhaps you would join me in the gardens tomorrow afternoon, Doctor?”

“I would like that, your highness.” Leo smiled softly at the sour face the title pulled from Jim. The prince said his goodbyes just as Gaila returned with the shoes.

“That,” she said pointedly, “was the most relaxed I have seen him in a week.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The castle grounds were more impressively vast than Leo had thought. He had been walking the grounds for nearly an hour and had barely covered half of them. Joanna was in their rooms, her own a smaller room attached to Leo’s, sleeping the excitement of the day off. He had decided to take the opportunity to explore his place of residence for the next week in an attempt to steady himself. He only ended up feeling more overwhelmed than before.

Now he found himself at the foot of the western tower of The Bridge, suppressing the horror he felt at simply looking at the outrageous height of it.

“It’s impressive, isn’t it?” A cool deep voice came from behind him. He turned to look for it’s source. A dark-haired man dressed in a sharply tailored black suit nodded at him in greeting. “You must be Doctor McCoy. It’s nice to put a face to the man who seems to have captured our Prince so completely.”

The man’s very presence made the hair on the back of Leo’s neck stand up. It was the first time since arriving that he had not felt comfortable and welcome. “I regret to say I am not familiar with the faces here.”

The man didn’t seem offended, but the smile that touched his lips was condescendingly in its amusement. “My apologies. I am Duke Noonien Singh. Khan, if that is more familiar to you.”

Leo gave a shallow bow. “Your Grace. A pleasure to meet you.”

Khan nodded again, the quirk of his lips widening a bit looking too wide on his pinched face. “You are very polite, Doctor McCoy. It is a wonder you and James have gotten along at all. Good day.”

Khan continued on his way before Leo could return the farewell. He shivered as he watched Khan retreat and decided to make his way back to the rooms. A meal and bed would do him some good. It was very nearly dark anyway and he would have to wake Joanna to make sure she ate before going to bed for the night.

And he if was putting more distance between himself and the entirely unsettling encounter with Khan, well that was just an added benefit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their third day in the capital was less demanding than the second day. Leo had the remaining clothing he needed sent to his rooms and Joanna only needed to go in once more for a fitting for her dress, the rest of the day was left to them. Leo was still feeling a little put off by Khan’s appearance, but the Duke kept his distance, leaving Leo no reason to seek the company of the Prince or his busy crew. The coronation was only two days away and every person in the capital seemed to have places to be. As unsettled as he had been by Khan, he was far more distracted by the upcoming conversation with Jim.

When her fitting was done he took Joanna’s hand and started towards the gardens, nearly walking them into a fountain he was so distracted. Chekov took Joanna from him, saying something about horses and a new foal, leaving Leo alone with his thoughts while he waited for Jim.

“You look stormy.” Jim tugged at Leo’s sleeve, jarring him out his thoughts. “Come, there’s a bench near the back that’s a bit more private.”

They sat on the hard stone of the bench, both trying to make the silence seem causal rather than force conversation. Jim’s voice was heartbreakingly quiet when he finally spoke.

“You’re still angry with me.” The soft tone was so out of character for the vibrant and creative Jim Leo had come to know. He turned to look at Jim, unable to ignore that, quite possible for the first time since they had met, Jim’s hands were still.

“No. I understand why you had to leave. I was angry, but it was misplaced,” He hesitated, “I owe you an apology. For not saying goodbye.”

“I would have done the same thing,” Jim admitted. They fell quiet again, but Jim reached over to take Leo’s hand. He was still too somber as he continued. “I care for you, Bones, more than I’ve cared for anyone. I want you to stay, to become my consort.”

Leo blanched, pulling his hand away from Jim’s quickly. “I’m a doctor, not damned nobility! You already asked once, Jim. Why ask again?”

Color rose to Jim’s cheeks quickly and Leo was struck by how much more familiar it Jim seem. “Because it’s the only thing I can do. I’ve done so many selfish things in my life. Now that I’ve found the one thing I want more than anything, I’m helpless to do a thing about it. I used up all my selfish acts as a child and now I am faced with either losing you or losing the kingdom and I can’t choose what I want. I can’t choose you! No matter how much I want to, I can’t choose you over the well being of my people. All I can do is ask, to hope, that you stay.”

Leo swallowed roughly, reaching out to take Jim’s hand and pull him back down next to him. Jim sagged, looking more tired than even the day Sam abdicated.

“I could never be with someone who chose an entire kingdom over me,” he brought Jim’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it softly, Jim’s hand tightened on his own. “I love you, Jim. I do, but this...all of this is so much.”

“Please,” Jim pressed his forehead to Leo’s shoulder, “Please just promise me you’ll think about it.”

“I’ll think about it.”


	8. Author's Note

Hey guys, sorry this isn't a new chapter, but it's been a very long time since I posted and I just wanted to let everyone know that I am  **absolutely** going to continue this fic. I've had life get in the way of writing more than a few sentences at a time, but I really really want to finish this fic because I love it. 

Thank you so much for all your patience and I hope to get a new chapter up soon for you to enjoy. 

-Sefie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll delete this chapter before I post the new one so don't worry if it looks like the same amount of chapters are up when I update again.


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